Archive for Bullying

The world is feeling less and less safe now. So many things feel out of control and as we go about our lives focusing on the day to day management of lists and things to get done, we may notice that we are coping a little less well.

If you haven’t noticed this, then good for you! Keep doing what you are doing because it is working but you may be noticing it in your loved ones and friends so read on.

If you have experienced trauma in your past or are experiencing it now, then world events may feel like just too much piling on and it can be overwhelming.

The current state of our country and our political process is reflecting some of the same abusive behaviors you may have experienced in your family or relationships:

High conflict

Denial of reality

Threats to your sense of security

Threats of denial of services or processes that contribute to your well-being

Witnessing or hearing stories of violence and abuse inflicted on others you may or may not know or in your group/community that you have affinity with.

If you are a sexual assault survivor or have experienced bullying, racism or other types of discrimination or harassment or you are the child of a difficult divorce or domestic violence then you may experience an “activation” of old memories or feelings that could be attributed to past trauma.

The current political climate has been an emotionally activating one and if you are a survivor of abuse or experienced an abusive relationship like those listed, then you may be experiencing some re-triggering and activation of old wounds.

You may not have realized it was happening but noticed some old familiar symptoms have re-emerged:

Inability to focus or difficulty concentrating

Numbness

Brain Fog

Irritability

Jittery Feeling

The need for more alone time

A feeling of needing affirmation from friends and family

An increase in fearful rumination

Increasing dependence and reactivity when looking at social media

This is what happens and it is completely normal but without language for it, the experience is hard to explain and can lead to increased stress and tension in relationship and a decrease in our day to day management of life.

If you have noticed some of these, then I encourage you to seek support. Your feelings are completely normal. Trauma continues to live in our body long after the experience and without help we can re-experience it in sudden jolts of reactivity or the slow subtle increase of stress and tension we can’t easily connect to anything we’ve experienced recently. Therapy is a great resource to help you manage it and there are several trauma therapies that can greatly reduce or eliminate your symptoms.

Please talk about it with your family and friends or seek people and groups that share your experience and viewpoint. Support is closer than you may think and experiencing the resonance of others who are “in it with you” is a great way to gain language and self understanding of what is happening inside you before it comes out in ways that add more pain and stress.

You might have thought I meant don’t be that person in the photo.
You would be wrong.

I hope you won’t be like some of the people described in this beautifully written piece on the bullying of “fat” people. The author identified only as Your Fat Friend speaks to many universal parallels of bias. People find all manner of justifications to bully when they need a scapegoat. Being fat is just one example, but it is sadly the one still too often overlooked as wrong.

The common theme in all bullying is contempt, seeing the person not as a person but as a threatening “object” and the contempt feels justified because the system- in this case American culture – tells you so.

The story referred to about a person being kicked off an airplane for being too large is as horrible as it gets and just like every instance of bullying, the most painful part (in my experience and reported by every single person who comes to my office) is the silence of the witness. The bystander who does nothing.

Please don’t be that person.

Here are some things you can do:

– Stand up – literally – even if you say nothing it breaks the spell
– If it is safe to do so, put your body in front of the target

– “I’m so sorry this is happening it is wrong”
– “You don’t deserve this”

Many times we stop ourselves by what I call the “mental gymnastics” of attempting to figure out what the right thing is. Often bystanders are in shock themselves – it can take a few moments to gather yourself and your thoughts – to even realize what just happened.

The key is to be prepared. To realize that in American culture bullying will happen. Acts of emotional violence will occur right in front of you. Sometimes they are subtle and sometimes they are loud.

But the irony is there is no ONE right thing – there are infinite right things. A million ways you can do or say something that conveys what you know: This is wrong.

You don’t have to be a bully to stop a bully. You just have to speak the truth of what you experience when you can. The more you do, the better at it you will be and the next time you will be ready to act. The next time you will show others how to do it. Then they will be prepared and ready for their next time.

Trauma is a word that gets tossed around more often now but do we really understand what trauma is? It turns out that there are different kinds of trauma but they all have one thing in common: The capacity to manage what is experienced has been exceeded and this person is stuck in perpetual pain not knowing how to resolve the flood of feelings and thoughts that are running amok inside them.

If you aren’t prepared then you’re left feeling powerless and confused.

Trauma happens to us when what we experience cannot be integrated or understood and our nervous system is overloaded to the point that is shuts itself down and takes our brain and nervous system offline. When this happens the part of the brain that enables us to make meaning of what is happening and integrate it so that our nervous systems recognizes we are safe and OK is temporarily disconnected from the rest of the brain. This is basic hard-wiring and what has kept us safe since human life began.

For some lucky people who have not experienced much or any trauma, this system is used less. For others, it has been the norm throughout their lives and, where it once helped, now more often tricks us or causes more problems.

Basically when we experience a trauma trigger we are in a state of fear and the part of our brain that allows us to create context and meaning out of what we experience – the pre-frontal cortex – is no longer available. It has been taken offline so that all remaining function can be directed toward safety and survival.

This type of event can occur in one extreme shock or it can occur over time by the accumulation of many momentary threats and wounding that reinforce the feeling of being unsafe.

Think of it as one BIG “T” or a mountain of little “t’s” the result of which is overload, shutdown and trauma.

So that happened now what do I do?

Well, trauma is a package deal because it comes with TRIGGERS. These are reminders and familiar things that we recognize – sometimes consciously, sometime unconsciously, as familiar and “like the trauma” but to another person witnessing it in this time and place, it may not appear like anything traumatic at all. It can be very confusing.

One of the most difficult challenges for someone who has experienced trauma is the feeling that no one understands or believes them.

For the person experiencing the traumatic trigger, it does not matter one hoot to their brain and nervous system that other people aren’t seeing the same thing – they feel it as true. The physical body merely alerts us and because the brain was unable to create meaning at the time the trauma occurred, time and place become irrelevant and it is true as much now as when the trauma really happened no matter how long ago.

The best metaphor that I use with my clients is to think about trauma as a disease just like diabetes and the triggers like sugar. For someone who doesn’t have diabetes all the sweet things are just fine and no problem at all. But to someone with diabetes, a little bit of sugar is life threatening.

It’s the same thing for a trauma trigger. Common every day slights and upsets would be easily brushed off by someone who doesn’t have the triggers. But for someone carrying trauma, it sends us into shock and we need something added to bring our system into balance. For a diabetic it is insulin. For traumatic trigger recovery it is attunement and acknowledgement – validating the feelings and naming them that creates a sense of calm and safety.

As Dr. Siegel says, name it to tame it.

So this brings us to you – friends and family of someone you love and who carries trauma.

It is very confusing to us when someone we love lashes out at us for seemingly no reason or freezes and withdraws or abruptly gets up and walks out. The behavior feels deliberate and hurtful to us*.

So what happens is misunderstanding and further withdrawal and trauma – now passed between each other and reinforcing that the world is not safe and I am not safe with you.

What can we do?

Well, first thing is to recognize that the person is struggling with something they cannot control. They may work very hard to manage it but until real healing occurs and the trauma is integrated as meaningful and contextualized life experience they will fall short. So when triggering occurs, they slip into the least helpful behaviors that make you not want to be near them.

“Allow this behavior to be accepted as a temporary bump in an otherwise loving road.”

The following are suggestions to help you and your loved one have tools to break the cycle of re-traumatization and form deeper connection for healing in the relationship:**

Step 1: Don’t personalize.Recognize that this person you love does not want to hurt you, but is triggered and needs your help to regain a sense of safety.

What you see – my sister is yelling at me/him/her, my brother is leaving the dinner abruptly, my mother is crying, my father has a glazed look in his eyes and doesn’t seem to hear me.

What they see/feel – I am not safe here, I am not wanted, I don’t belong, a barrage of negative self talk and a flood of emotion or perhaps just fog and numbness.

What they need to hear – It’s OK, I am here and I want to understand what is happening right now. What do you need? Tell me what you are feeling? How can I help you?

Step 2: ListenTo the capacity you can, just listen. If you can’t stay present for whatever reason, let them know you love them but need to take a moment (good modeling) and that you will be right back.

Acknowledge their feelings and reflect what you heard – keeping your voice relaxed and low and, above all, remaining calm. You may hear blame or other messages that make you uncomfortable. They may express exaggerated feelings or emotions – things that seem nonsensical to your own experience of what is happening. Above all don’t argue or contradict them. Just keep listening.

Acknowledgement does not mean you accept blame – but you can say “I understand” and “I appreciate you telling me.” with the intention to talk more later.

It will take some time for them to calm down depending on the trigger and the circumstances. Allow them to step away and recover, or hold them close and let them cry, or give them space but stay present with them. To the capacity that you can, give them what they ask for. Above all listen. The objective is to attune to them and love them through this moment into safety and calm.

Step 3: Believe Them
What they say may trigger some feels of your own and you may feel the impulse to defend. Try not to because this is not about you and it won’t help anyway. Let them know you believe what they say is true. This doesn’t mean you agree or align with their point of view, but you are allowing them to have the experience they are having without shame or judgment and this is a very important element to the healing process. You may also gain insight which allows you to see their pain and have deeper empathy. Remember even members of the same family can have very different experiences of the shared relationships and events.

Step 3: Problem SolveAfter you have listened to what they feel and need it is important to back it up with real behavior change. Talk with them about how to help them avoid the trigger in the future. Listen to what is causing them pain and hold the request with appropriate concern and urgency. Negotiate a solution and adaptation where you see opportunity for that.

Step 4: Be an allyEncourage and model for others in the family or community how to remain calm and manage it when future events occur. Allow this behavior to be accepted as a temporary bump in an otherwise loving road. By doing that you will find that the person will gain a sense of trust in the connection and feel triggered less frequently as a result.

Recognize that although their behavior makes you uncomfortable and anticipating their moods can impact your own enjoyment of the community or family – the best way to correct it is to deepen the connection with them, if possible. Allowing them to have their experience and you sharing yours. Giving each other a chance to understand the differences and shared perspectives.

Most importantly, avoid the temptation to scapegoat or join in conversation about the person that furthers the negative stories about them. These stories reinforce that they really are unsafe and erode trust for everyone.

The more shame and judgment allowed, the less safe people feel.

Notice common ways of relating in your family or community that may be contributing to the dysfunction and impacting everyone as a result. Remember we all play a role in the health of every relationship, family or community in which we are a member.

*Of course it hurts and it is important you know that your feelings matter too and must be acknowledged but for the sake of healing the time for that is when things are calm not in the middle of the triggering event. If you are triggered yourself, then seek support first!

**DISCLAIMER: These suggestions are intended to assist with mild to moderate triggering events where emotions are the primary expression. If you feel you or the other person is in immediate physical danger – call 911.

Like many people who were well into middle age when social media exploded onto the scene, I joined Facebook kicking and screaming in 2010. I resisted for a long time, joining the complainers that opined about how much time it took away from other things and kept them up late at night.

Truthfully, that is exactly what happened to me but you’ll never hear me complain. The reason is that Facebook helped me find my voice.

Before Facebook I didn’t know I needed a soapbox.

Before Facebook I didn’t know I cared about politics.

Before Facebook I didn’t know many of my friend’s birthday or that I would care that people acknowledge mine.

Before Facebook I had never heard of a flash-mob or why it is important to see cute animals at least once daily

Before Facebook I thought I only had a handful of friends, now I have many many more and I am glad to know them.

Before Facebook I had never experienced bullying online or felt the satisfaction of seeing someone’s mind change and soften after a heartfelt exchange.

Before Facebook I had never shown my sadness to anyone that wasn’t my closest confident and then had my feelings confirmed and supported in a few words by a group of people who really want me to know they care.

Before Facebook I didn’t really understand the huge racial divide that is breaking my heart and that I am now dedicating my life to heal.

I learn new things every day from blogs, pages and people whose thoughts and concerns I admire. Some of whom are people who I have never met who know me through a friend of a friend connected to an organization I care about. Oh yeah and and some really old friends who I haven’t clapped eyes on in 30 + years.

Before Facebook I would never have imagined that I could comment on something wonderful and enlightening posted by a total stranger from across the world. But now I can and I do. I feel connected to the world in a way I could never have been before and I love more, I feel more open-hearted, more curious and I care about what happens to people I have never met because I see a little more into their lives.

I feel more empowered to act on things because my friends care too. When I see something wrong and it changes how I see the world, I can do something. It is not nothing to have changed the conversation, to have planted seeds, to have opened up and let people know what I think and why they should consider thinking about it that way too.

Facebook helped me find my voice. I would not call myself an armchair activist because I am also involved in real organizations that exist outside of social media. But even if I only spent time on Facebook, who says I don’t really have skin in the game?

Slacktivist is another term that gets tossed around. But I challenge that label and here’s why: Facebook gives me access I would never have on my own. I am more informed about what’s happening around the world and I can speak, write, email and share what I hear with my expanding group of friends.

So thank you Facebook and all the people world-wide who are shaping me and influencing me and who I hope are benefiting from my own unique lens, experiences, challenges, reactivity, appreciation and loves because you heard and felt my voice.

White House intern Monica Lewinsky has recently returned to the spotlight after decades of obscurity to share her personal experience of bullying and public shaming. If you’re too young to know who she is here is her biography and an overviewof the scandal that precipitated her becoming, for a time, one of the most recognized and reviled women in America.

She was 22 years old and too young to realize the consequences of her actions when she “fell in love with her boss” who, unfortunately for her, was also a man, who at more than twice her age, didn’t seem to care about the consequences their actions would have for either of them.

These many years later, she is finally ready to reclaim her narrative and that is why her story is so meaningful to me and the work I do. People who have been targeted for bullying, shaming and abuse are always left feeling that their story has been stolen and distorted and struggle with how to overcome the powerlessness of feeling so betrayed.

The truth will set you free, but first you have to reclaim it.

When shame is being served, it is always served with contempt and humiliation. Humiliation is one of the most painful things anyone can experience. It is a betrayal of all trust and the person targeted is left confused and struggling to regain their ground amid a fiction where they are guilty and don’t even know the crime.

Children are especially vulnerable because their sense of self and identity is still forming. A child’s brain development doesn’t finish until about age 25. The last part of the brain to mature is the executive functioning area of the brain in the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain that enables problem solving and recognition of future consequences. So at 22, Monica was still developing and was not much more than a child herself.

Thanks to a “friend,” turned betrayer, Monica was cast into the public spotlight and the result was a universal public shaming. This was before the internet so she was spared the instantaneous reaction of “mobbing” but today’s kids are not so fortunate. We have seen countless suicides by children and young adults who cannot imagine that there will come a day when they will no longer feel so alone, isolated and vilified.

These were kids and they were directly harmed by other young people. They were also indirectly harmed by adults and bystanders who minimized and ignored the abuse. As a result they were publicly shamed to death. If they knew that time would heal their emotional wounds and that things would get better, they might still be alive.

Like Monica, they experienced the extreme ways that shaming and bullying can be wrought on people who are unlucky enough to be in the line of sight of someone who would take advantage of the opportunity to shame. When someone creates a story about us that involves shame, then you know that there is something wrong with that story.

I know I’m a good person

Our story is our identity and what grounds us and sets the course for our life. It impacts the people we choose to spend time with and what we see when we look in the mirror. Our story tells us about our goodness and our strengths and how flawed we are and whether those flaws are obvious enough to allow us to be loved. Am I enough? Am I good? Do I deserve to be treated this way?

If you have been emotionally abused or bullied as a child then it is hard to know because the information that shaped the story of YOU is not trustworthy. How do you know what is you and what is not you? One measure I have learned to use is this: Is there shame? If the answer is yes – then it is not good information. If the answer is no then I stay curious and ask for more clarification. If you were shamed by your parents then the work to recover and undo those narratives is long, but worth every minute to reclaim your right to exist and your right to be happy.

People who abuse and bully use shame and contempt as a means to push you down in order to elevate themselves. It isn’t funny and it isn’t truth. It is abuse.

Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. The best stories have a long middle. Monica stayed alive and now she is recovered and is healing. It took a long time. It always takes a long time but that is what makes a good story. Now her story includes using the trauma from her past to help others and to create change. Her story keeps getting better and better.

If you have suffered from early life trauma or abuse, what will the rest of your story be? Keep going, keep moving toward the things and people who make you happy and, above all, keep living.

Our sense of self is molded by the things we see, hear and feel throughout our lives. In early life our identity and sense of self comes primarily from the relationship or attachment we form to those closest to us. Our parents, family and community created a “climate” for our inner development to adapt to and take shape.

Later in life, as our experiences extend beyond the confines of our immediate relationships, we start to add and subtract beliefs and habits to form our own identity. These may be healthy or unhealthy choices depending on our ability to understand and express the feelings and emotions we experience. Where there is no language or space to be you and express your wants and needs, and most importantly, have them be validated, we rebel. If you won’t accept me I will find acceptance somewhere else.

Trauma, at any age, distorts our experience of ourselves and the world and in order to make sense of these distortions we create meaning that explains why they occurred. The younger we are the more likely that story places us at the center and we fully accept the shame that comes with it. I’m bad, I’m wrong, it was my fault, I asked for it, if I were different, if I had known and on and on – we accept the labels, blame and shame as our own. From there we perpetuate those beliefs through unconscious choice making and relational patterns that reinforces that story over and over.

The process of reclaiming and rebuilding a strong, healthy sense of self requires first and foremost looking critically at your life. What is your life reflecting back to you and where are you focusing your attention?

What is the common story you tell yourself when things go right?
When things go wrong?

Your life is like a mirror reflecting back to you the life you either created or agreed to. It is mostly unconscious. The way to understand and change it is to stop, look and listen.

Reclaiming your power.“…no one gives you power, you just take it” Rosanne Barr

If we grew up in an environment where power was abused through force we learned that power is something some people have and others don’t. We learn that power is what you need to win and someone always loses. But power is much more complicated than that. Personal power is everything and nothing. It is not authority, which is power entrusted. It is not force, which is power stolen. Power is equally strength and restraint. True authentic power is knowledge, wisdom and understanding about ourselves and the conviction that we know who we are.

Unveiling and Rewriting Your Story: What are your core beliefs?

Core Beliefs – “Unconditional beliefs that serve as a basis for screening, categorizing, and interpreting experiences. For example, “I’m no good.” “Others can’t be trusted.” “Effort does not pay off.” These often operate outside of the individual’s awareness and often are not clearly verbalized.” Source

What do I believe to be true about myself? Where did it come from?

What messages have I claimed for myself

What messages have I accepted to belong or survive

What assumptions am I operating from as a result of these beliefs?

How do these beliefs effect my thoughts feelings and behaviors?

How do I know what is really me? And what is not me?

As you move through each day, stop, look at what is happening in this moment, and ask yourself these questions:

Do I like it?

Do I want it?

Why is it good for me?

What do I need right now?

How do I feel?

As you take the time and allow yourself to REFLECT, ASK and ANSWER these questions you strengthen self knowledge. You won’t get it right every time especially at first. That’s okay – keep going. As you learn to trust yourself it will become more automatic and you will gravitate toward the answers you know you like. It is not selfish to take the time and space to discover what you need and feel- that is part of your responsibility as an adult.

It is our responsibility to create the environment
in which we can thrive

My world is a reflection of the choices made by me or for me. Do you feel empowered? Are you thriving? To reclaim your power and control in your own life you have to know how to make choices that you can not only live with, but be happy with. Choices that lead you to effortless happiness. That is thriving. Start simply and pay attention to each choice.

Every day try to reflect on these three questions:What choices did I make today that feel good?
What choices did I make today that are leading me where I want to go?
What am I most grateful for today?

As you strengthen your knowledge about who you are and what you want you will drop the need to justify and explain or apologize when your needs and wants do not appease others. All healthy relationships allow space for negotiating wants and needs and when that isn’t allowed, your new empowered self will make the best choice for you.

As you turn your attention to what is working you will find it easier and easier to make that choice.

There are many things in addition to therapy that you can start doing to rewire your brain on your own – with intention.

We know that recovery and emotional healing is a whole body experience. Therapy is a critical element and provides an “anchor” point and lens to interpret and make sense of your journey – past and present. But the rest of the change happens through experiences in your body and by you intentionally taking small emotional risks to express yourself in a safe and contained way. Recovery can also be fun.**

Self Defense Class
For men and women who feel very dis-empowered, disconnected from their strength, have difficulty saying NO – a self defense class is a wonderful way to safely move toward connection with your power.

Martial Arts Class
This is an excellent way to get into your body and start to connect with your power center in a safe way. There are less combative versions, like Tai Chi, which is more meditative and a great place to start. Other forms, like Aikido, teach you forms of combat and if you have not found a healthy channel for your unexpressed anger, this might be for you.

Volunteerism
If you have been unemployed for any length of time, you can feel very disconnected from your sense of professional identity. For professionals, this can be even more debilitating and confusing. Find a local non-profit organization near you and start volunteering. This is a great way to build confidence and reconnect with your professional identity. You may also make new friends and have additional references that can help when you start interviewing again.

Join a Cause
The world is not fair, justice is not guaranteed and it’s important to have allies. If you are struggling with the anxiety and anger from a personal injustice that you can’t resolve therapy is a must. But there is also something you can do to channel that anger in a constructive and healing way: volunteer with an organization whose mission is justice. It doesn’t matter which one (social, criminal, economic – there are many) the point is to get involved and find people, like you, who care and want to do something about it.

Take an Acting Class
Improvisation and acting classes can give us an opportunity to step outside our comfort zone to express in ways we would not have opportunity to “in real life.” It allows us to try on other characters and forms of expression and most importantly, it can provide an excellent way to grow our tolerance for attention and being seen in a positive way.

Take a Yoga Class
Recognizing we have a body and what it might be telling us is a critical part of any recovery process. Yoga provides a gentle and powerful way to connect with your body. If you are a trauma survivor you may want a trauma sensitive yoga class – look for that in the information when you are choosing the class that’s right for you.

**Before you start, talk about options with your therapist to determine your readiness for some of the things listed above.